Battleworld - Kraze Armada design notes

Battleworld Design Notes - Kraze Individual Characters and Units

Characters

Empress Makiko Kraze (Umezawa)
Theme Song: Strange Wings - Savatage
Duel Stage (Makiko versus The Beast): X (Group De Hymne) - X-Japan

Age: 41
Ht: 6'0"
Wt: gets violent whenever this question comes up.
B/W/H: 36/29/38
Hand: Right-handed, can secretly fight and operate with her left
Eyes: vividly green
Skin: pale
Hair: short-ish black hair
Musculature: Design-wise she looks like a bodicon model with heavier arms (and the specifications I've written above), but the athletic muscles of her frame can become serious and outlined in thick, gloppy bold ink when she exerts her true power. It's generally accepted that her muscles are "dense" due to her years of conditioning, marching about and fighting while wearing full plate armor.

Demeanor: Stoic, superior, follows the philosophies of Harkonnen Kraze closely. In direct battle she can be quite ferocious, even bloodthirsty. As a leader though, she rules with an iron will and employs tactics that are as efficient as they can brutal. One of the points that has earned her the respect of her military is her willingness to to exploit any weakness in the enemy ranks, and what has earned her the fear of her neighbors is her willingness to destroy any who dares set themselves directly against her.

Description: A soldier, warrior woman, general, Empress and a mother. Makiko Kraze has lived to perform many great deeds, unifying her fractured nation and entering into the world stage as a supreme, even feared power. Above all though is her own will, her own freedom of choice - to that end she now seeks to further that goal, to secure the world for her son's future and the future of all that lives on Battleworld. It's believed quite far and wide that should she ever deign to take a mate, that person will probably be ruined for all other sentience beings on the planet.

Nevertheless, though her beauty and womanly ways are a source of scandalous discussion amongst the public, none would dare say it where she could hear: she can be a kind Empress but she lacks patience and can forget about subtlety the moment someone crosses one of her lines. As quick to punish as she is to reward, her personal mannerisms are as blunt as a warhammer and ever a reminder of her background as a soldier and a warrior.

As the people of Tokyo Two put it, it's simple: don't cross the woman, and you'll probably get what you need out of the deal.

Her views towards the Horde: "So long as they do not view us as prey, I care not one wit what those perverts do with each other."

Her views towards the Krieg: "Their philosophy is twisted, but familiar. The strong rule, the weak submit. Ultimately our two kingdoms are going to have to truly confront one another for good and all. If their philosophy allows for only one of us to stand, then the Armada of Kraze shall be the only banner to remain raised!"

Her views towards the Legion: "Demnos is a stinking coward who uses his people as puppets. I respect their technical prowess, but not at the cost of individuality and the freedom of personal expression."

Her views towards the Goblin Forces: "We were never allies and, indeed, there was a subtle war of trade and mercantile going on in the background of our dealings. But the Goblin King has always treated us with respect and never sided with the Horde against us. I feel for their subjugation, and would alleviate that if I could. No one should suffer under a dictator, especially one as brutal as The Beast."

Her views towards Nepthis the Everdust: "A legend that has deigned to disturb the lives of everyone on this planet with his existence. I shall accept his terms or not, this choice is mine to make of my own volition. To hold the world hostage only proves that there's more in the background than he is letting on...we shall see. We shall see."


Emperor Kazehiko Kraze (Umezawa)
Theme Song: Fight the Youth - Fishbone

Age: 21
Ht: 6'1"
Wt: 200 lbs.
B/W/H: Manly/Manly/Manly
Hand: Ambidextrous, but favors his personalized heavy lance (Designated Driver) in his left hand.
Eyes: Purple
Skin: Pale, tending towards olive
Hair: Black (longer than his mother's, almost to his shoulders)
Musculature: He's a heavily-muscled young man, though he can exhibit a whip-like agility due to his training. Has the horrifying tendency of ripping his shirt off and flexing whenever he, Angrem Grim, and his uncle Baron get together.

Demeanor: Much like his mother, his personality changes when on the battlefield. Normally he has a fondness for bad jokes and pranks (like his uncle, Machiavelli) and can get away with a bit more with the troops than his mother can, for all that they're both of the same soldier stock. He can be quite easy going and fun-loving outside of his job, but the moment he gets onto the battlefield he becomes all business, his intensity only growing to a finite edge the closer to direct combat he gets.

Description: Tall and muscular, his physicality can be a tangible thing outside of his armor and if it wasn't for his quick smile and easy-going mannerisms he'd actually be quite intimidating. Despite his bulk he moves with a grace that is almost inhuman, a trait shared by his uncle (the very same duelist who trained him personally) due to the kind of swordsman training he's undergone. A man of quite a few words and less sensibilities, outside of combat and court manners he can be socially clumsy on a personal level and tends to prefer being seen in his "official" positions.

A young man who shares his mother's dream in seeing their people safe and protected against the terrors of this harsh world, he nevertheless chafes from time to time from her devotion to him as well. As he's willing to put it though, it's kinda hard to move out on your own when your mother rules the land.

As second in command (and named "Emperor" by his very own mother, who has created a kind of political kerfuffle by NOT stepping down when she did), it's his job to handle communications, training and the supply of the people of Tokyo Two as well as overseeing the efficiency of the Imperial social programs. Because of this, he's generally the face of the court to the lower classes of Tokyo Two as a whole, a job that he'd normally just cough about except that the people have come to love him for his passion and empathy towards their plight.


King Angrem Grim
Theme Song: Smoke and Mirrors - Jim Johnston

Age: 113
Ht: 5'9"
Wt: 300 lbs pure muscle
B/W/H: Bara/Bara/Bara
Hand: He has two.
Eyes: Purple
Skin: Pale skin darkened by a bluish tinge.
Hair: Red
Musculature: BIG MCLARGEHUGE

Demeanor: EXPLODING WITH MANLY POWER AND BRIMMING WITH JUSTICE!!!!! HE IS THE BRIAN BLESSED OF THIS GAME AND AS SUCH EITHER LAUGHS INCREDIBLY LOUD OR SIMPLY RUSHES INTO BATTLE HEADLONG, HEADFIRST, AND WITH A HEADBUTT!!!

Description: A powerful king who rules with the high charisma that can be found in many other Horde member, Grim is an undead wrestler who prefers to deal with issues and troubles with his own two hands. Sometimes his head, but mostly his hands.

The Grimlands is a small spit of land within the UnderRealm, one where a old tribe of zombie necromancers have long since ruled and was once even the capital city for this kingdom. It has been also said that this was the last battle between the world and the Incubi race that once ruled this world, and that the Grimlands are the graveyard for that destroyed race.

As such, the Grim tribe were reportedly the ones who struck the fatal blow and, since then, the Grims have always carried the burden of constantly watching out for their return, doing what they can to stop any resurrection attempts as well as warn the rest of the Horde.

Due to political reasons the Grimlands and Angrem Grim himself was "gifted" to the Armada, and though Grim travels amongst Makiko's entourage he has leave to go back whenever he gets the word from his kin of the Incubi's return, in order to be amongst the first to defeat them.

Unlike the rest of his kin, he (for whatever reason) completely lacks the ability to harness necromantic magics even though he's amongst the first successful necromorph soldiers. Being a soldier as well as a martial artist, he makes up his inability to use magic with an over-the-top, melee prowess and hand-to-hand skill that few can truly match.


Armor Grim
Theme Song: High Road - Fort Minor
Power Up: Dead Man Walking - Bloodsimple

Age ???
Ht: 6'0"
Wt: It's unknown
B/W/H: Bara/Bara/Bara
Hand: Gloved.
Eyes: He wears a black jaguar mask, so it's hard to see his face.
Skin: Pale skin darkened by a bluish tinge.
Hair: Black
Musculature: BEEF MANTHRUST

Demeanor: HE BRINGS FORTH A LIGHT TO SHINE UPON THE WICKED DARKNESS, HE IS THE BEACON OF COURAGE IN A WORLD OF INJUSTICE! HIS COURAGE IS LOUD, AND HIS JUSTICE IS IRRESISTIBLE!!! MANLY!!! GRACEFUL!!!! HE IS NOT KING AGREM GRIM, WHO IS ALSO A TRUE CUT OF BEEFY MAN!!!! NO, HE IS...ARMOR GRIM!!!!!

Description: A powerful king who rules with the high charisma that can be found in many other Horde member, Armor Grim is an undead wrestler who prefers to deal with issues and troubles of the people of the Grimlands with his own two hands. Sometimes his head, but mostly his hands.

For his own reasons, he has followed King Angrem Grim in his responsibilities and has sworn fealty to the Kraze Armada as well. Being a proud and powerful Grimsman as well he has also received the perk of being able to leave for the Grimlands the MOMENT a warning of Incubi has been received.


Pochi
Theme Song: Stress - Jim's Big Ego

Age: He's been around for as long as anyone can ever remember.
Ht: Sitting down, his head comes up to about waist-high on Makiko.
Wt: His weight fluctuates with his appetites. Sometimes he eats light, especially when worried about one he cares about. Shuhei swears he goes anywhere from 100 lbs. to 300 lbs.
B/W/H: He's a dog. Don't ask me this, you sick fuck.
Hand: Right-pawed.
Eyes: One eye blue, one eye brown.
Skin: When he's shaved, his skin is dark.
Hair: His fur is black with white ear hair.
Musculature: Ranges with the season, but he's normally a slab of a muscle. It's been suggested that he's descended from a german shepard/british mastiff bloodline.

Demeanor: Ranges from puppy-like exuberance to battle-hardened wardog bloodlust. Is especially close with Kazehiko and, unless in a battle against them, seems to adore Horde peoples and Goblins. Seems to have an all-consuming, maddened hatred of both Nepthis the Everdust and Demnos alike, and it's been noted that he simply doesn't trust anyone of the Krieg Army.

Description: Shuhei Taka is usually Pochi's handler whenever one is needed. Normally Pochi just takes care of himself, and can be quite intelligent and independent, even to the point of writing in the dirt with a stick if need be.

While he does take to regular breeding sessions, he lives far from the ideal dog's life: the dog is constantly training alongside the soldiery, and is something of a good luck talisman and mascot. Whichever unit he's adopted tends to survive against even the greatest of odds, and it's been suggested more than once that should Pochi ever take away his favor from the current ruling Emperor or Empress, than that person is doomed to either step down in shame or be cut down.

Pochi himself exhibits signs of O.C.D. sometimes, living his day to day life almost virtually the same as the day before. He makes his rounds, he trains, he loves up to his favored people on certain days, and unless a war or patrolling he can usually be found in the town and farmlands surrounding the fortress of New Kyoto.

Well known to be a guardian of children and a good luck talisman amongst the police force and fire magistrates as well.



Baron Randal Machiavelli (Umezawa)
Theme Song: All Roads Are Made of Flesh - Kip Hanrahan

Age 62
Ht: 5'5" (he has surprisingly long arms, though one would never see it normally)
Wt: 130 lbs.
B/W/H: Muscularly slender/Trim/Manly
Hand: Favors his left hand
Eyes: One eye is green, one eye is red
Skin: Pale
Hair: Black
Musculature: Lithe, agile as hell and bearing the musculature of a dancer as well as a fencer, yet his shoulders and back bear the markings of a person who has worn armor all their life.

Demeanor: Playful, powerfully charismatic and easy to get along with whether on the battlefield or in the court, only those close to him know how insanely intense he can get. Once he's focused on a goal he works to achieve it with efficiency and speed. For all that some might think he's a fool, the only ones who truly believe that are dead or forced to work for him. He is an amazing power in the court scene, and he never wastes moves or pawns lightly.

Description: Exceedingly handsome, sexy as hell and he knows it. Hell, the Kraze story starts off with him getting into an orgy with the Horde high council in order to "keep the politics between our people smooth and friendly."

His appetites are well known and lauded amongst the court folk, and his drunken carousing has never brought trouble to the city folk. Indeed, he's one of the people who penned the laws concerning noble-common interactions and established immediate imprisonment of any nobility who takes advantage of the common folk after personally witnessing what almost became a public rape (long before Makiko's birth) had he and his entourage not intervened.

To this day he is known for "keep the gold flowing between all peoples of Tokyo Two" as well as his notable, entertaining (and VERY public) duels.

Despite all this he's also one of the most approachable nobles in the entire court, and will easily give a minute or two to any who approach him.

Is part of the "MANLY PACT!" with Kazehiko and Grim and, alongside the other two, will rip his shirt off and flex whenever they meet. Supposedly this has something to do with a promise the two older men (well, man and Necromorph) made with Hiko when he was younger.


Chancellor Fivel Wraith
Theme Song: Butcher Pete - Roy Brown

Age 83
Ht: 4'9"
Wt: roughly 200 lbs.
B/W/H: Old/Old/Old
Hand: Left
Eyes: hidden behind thick glasses, but is a faded denim blue
Skin: despite his age it's been noted that he actually has really nice skin.
Hair: Long and light blue
Musculature: Strangely enough he has rather good musculature for an old scholarly type, mostly due to a daily regimen of exercise he does every morning. He claims that it helps him think better throughout the day.

Demeanor: Genuinely cranky and slightly spiteful of the whole world, Fivel is as geeky as it gets in this world. A history buff, a military nerd (despite his general hatred of soldiery, marching, and "base warrior thoughts"), a gearhead as well as a superior eye of horseflesh he's a walking Monster Manual on top of everything else.

Description: OLLLLLLLLD and, even worse, he secretly likes younger women and will happily chase them around if given a chance. Absolutely hates being in the same room with "manly men" and their "base, crude language" and will do his damnedest to get out of the place lest a drinking challenge or "gee manly poetry" contest begins.

He personally tutored Kazehiko in the finer arts and, though the boy had (and has) no talent for magic, still taught him the fundamentals, theory and history of magic. Both Kazehiko and Makiko are the only two people he ever seems to enjoy being around, and Hiko has often doted on him like the grandfather he never had.


Shuhei Taka
Theme Song: Won't Lie Down - Face to Face

Age 27
Ht: 5'8"
Wt: 160 lbs.
B/W/H: He's so boring I can't even jokingly write anything here.
Hand: Right
Eyes: Brown
Skin: somewhat tanned and leathery from working in the fields while growing up.
Hair: Short and black
Musculature: Despite his insistence on his common background and farmlife upbringing, he's actually pretty well built due to years of marching on the road, going from city to city, town to town, always to convey the voice of the people and the individual city councils to the Empress. Though he doesn't inexactly travel alone he DOES hate the idea of using servants, so he only carries whatever he himself can use, instead spending his coin for basic necessities in the towns he visits and donning his own armor and weaponry.

Demeanor: As lukewarm as a cup of tea left out to cool and just as idealistic, all Taka wants is for every day to be peaceful and work to be plentiful. Seriously, he's the single most boring character in the game even during battle (especially when compared to the rest of the hot-headed Kraze characters), and that suits him and everyone else just fine. He's as straight a shooter as anyone is to find, and is also the most fiercely loyal to Makiko's personal banner. Not only does he carry said banner into battle, but he has shown several times that he has what it takes to keep the troops rallied when the chips are down, a battle cry echoing straight from his soul and utter desire for peace and freedom even amidst the carnage of war.

Because of his ability to keep himself calm, cool and collected even in the fiercest of battles (and his unorthodox weapon, the pitchfork he's used ever since he was a teenager) he's considered one of Makiko's more trustworthy and able generals.

Description: Shuhei is the epitome of the farmer-warrior, fighting simply to get back to his farm and family someday. The youngest of seven brothers and three sisters, he was hand picked by Makiko to be the Voice of the People and he has yet to fail or disappoint her.

Honestly, I think I've said just about anything that needs to be said about this guy. He doesn't fuck around (in EVERY way of the word) and is still something of a virgin, wanting to keep himself pure for the maiden of his dreams someday.

While some may find his use of the pitchfork as a weapon to be something of a scandal, definitely unusual, he swears by it as his only heirloom of his family and his first real farming tool upon reaching his teen years. Since then it has served him well as a weapon of war, and he has sworn to see this war through with it until he can return it home as a tool once more.



Tiramisu Souflee
Theme Song: Dirt Metal - Thunderstone

Age ???
Ht: 3'0"
Wt: 500 lbs.
B/W/H: It's, quite literally, a spherical creature with arms that stretch.
Hand: If they could be caled that...
Eyes: They look like buttons. Red buttons.
Skin: Blue.
Hair: No one can quite tell if it's wearing a hat or if that weird, yellow cone on top of it's head is fucking hair.
Musculature: What muscles, Tira is all rubber.

Demeanor: Despite it's happy, kid-friendly, Pokemon-ish looks Tiramisu is actually a hardcore grump out of the kitchen and an absolute badass in it.

Seriously, even though it smiles a lot, once pushed into combat mode Tira's face turns into a demonic version of its' previously happy demeanor, brows furrowed like a cartoon characters', yo.

Description: Honestly, it's hard to put into words. Once you've actually MET Tira, you'd understand. Especially seeing her...him?...move in the kitchen, his/her arms stretching to unbelievable lengths before sinking back into its' spherical body.

Also, it rarely respects anyone and not even Makiko can have any say once Tira's in her kitchen. There is an unspoken law that once Tira is in her kitchen, Makiko never goes in there and vice-versa for the court.

Of course the one time Makiko DID go into Tira's kitchen she wore full battle armor and weapons, went in without her entourage (or, really, any notification to ANYONE whatsoever) and demanded that the little alien creature join her in this war to save the world.

While the other servants ran screaming for cover, Tira surprised everyone (Makiko included) by calmly accepting her offer before holding out a spoon of stew for her to taste.

Not surprisingly, it was delicious, even for Tiramisu.

Tira's history is shrouded in mystery, one that could be called a flat-out conspiracy by the nobility since none of the higher-ups (pretty much the entirety of Makiko's entourage) will talk about it.

Anyone who's ever asked Tira has been threatened with stabbing, slicing, fileting, skinning and flat-out consumption by him...her...whatever.

Despite how stupid Tira looks, she actually fits in with the rest of the hot-blooded badasses that comprise the Kraze Armada...sadly enough though, she's usually forced to be the one to trade for supplies since people can't help but to find her disturbingly entertaining and charming.

Strangely enough, he only keeps this first impression amongst those he's going to trade with. His rage in the kitchen, though, is somewhat noteworthy as well...which might be the reason why so many towns are willing to stay on his good side.

Hers?

Whatever.


"Heartless" Hillary Shrike
Theme Song: Guild of Mute Assassins - Clutch
Duel Stage: Gunslingers and Gravemakers - Coheed and Cambria

Age: 25
Ht: 5'3"
Wt: ??? (will damn near ram her crossbow into anyone's throat for that question)
B/W/H: 31/22/30
Hand: Used to be right-handed, but after joining the Kraze Armada became left-handed
Eyes: Gold
Skin: tanned
Hair: Bright red
Musculature: Surprisingly heavy for a girl her size, has that classic "archer's definition" which never faded after she became a crossbow artist.

Demeanor: This quiet killer is as stone-cold as they come. She literally says absolutely nothing save to her higher-ups, and even then prefers to be monosyllabic. Only Makiko knows why she's joined the Kraze Armada after the Battle of Arcanum when she was living the life of a well-paid mercenary at the time, but whatever those reasons are they seem to have hardened her to the point where she literally gives off an aura of lethal intent.

If it wasn't for her constant glare, she'd actually be quite beautiful. As is, lines of hurt and rage mar her face and no one knows what her figure actually looks like since she keeps it under layers of clothing, armor, and the trench coat of the mercenary guild.

Description: A small woman with a humongous aura, it's been noted that she could cow a rampaging troll into submission simply with her trademark glare. Makiko respects her and, apparently, is the only person who knows her full story. It's generally accepted that Shrike is one of those who swore a blood oath of fealty to Makiko since the Empress keeps her close damn near all the time, unless she's running one of her famed assassination missions.

Though not too many talk about it, but Hillary wasn't always known as "Heartless," but rather just by her last name, the same name she called her fabled mercenary group and assassin organization, "Shrike."

Then the infamous Battle of Arcanum occurred, the one that damn near broke the Stalemate before the game's beginning.

For reasons unknown, something changed in her that day and she pledged herself to Kraze, transforming from an outgoing young woman with a passionate zest for life into a quiet, angry yet cold killer. Since then she has disbanded the remnants of her followers (not even telling her closest comrades what was going on) and the Shrike group and has been working solely as Makiko's best assassin.

To what end, you (the player) will have to find out on your own.

Her personalized crossbow is named "The Battle of Arcanum," if that isn't a strong enough indicator of how that battle scarred her.


Individual Units



Soldiers - They wear armor, they swing swords and can even heal each other. Yay for ground troops!

Scholars - Light clothes, usually aren't for melee combat or even magical combat. They're scholars and they look like it.

Hedge Wizards - Ground troops magical combat, they wear lots of light clothing, robes, even light armors and use mainly blunt weapons for the magical enhancements.

Djinn - They have their own form of armors, a combination of light black chitinous armor and dark purple and red cloth. Very Arabic turbans, glowing red eyes, the works y'know? They wear normal looking boots of that same organic, chitinous look. No, they do not have shoes with those weird pointy inward-curling toes.

Dragons - Traditional western-style dragons, usually green and scaly with yellow underbellies and red, glowing eyes.

Dragonriders - Soldiers who ride on dragons. Dragons with harnesses. The traditional weapons are spears, lances, javelins and shields but some severe badasses use smaller weapons like swords and axes. Not because the dragon will obviously kill whatever gets to close, but because they themselves are more dangerous than the dragon.

Engineers - They look like engineers. They usually wear rough clothing and devote themselves to their works.

Drachenlings - humanoid dragons that stand on two legs and can wrap their wings about themselves like a cloak (y'know, like Gargoyles). Drachenlings appear with their own brand of plate armor, and each one usually has their own individual preference when it comes to weaponry. Big, and they look big (even teh wimmenz, though they're normally female-formed). Bi as fuck since reincarnation doesn't give a damn about gender, so they have that unusual outlook on life.

Specialists - They look like anyone else (mostly soldiers, hedge wizards and engies) save that they have a "UR #1" sash of differing colors depending on where they started from:

Melee - Red
Magic - Purple

Xbowmen - keeping to their mercenary roots, the Crossbowmen look like soldiers save that they also wear trench coats. The history behind the Crossbowmen is a relatively new thing, a weapon that Shrike brought with her when she chose a side.

Engel - With a pair of unconnected wings on their back, off of their shoulders, and from the ankles of their feet the Engel are angelic creatures that wear short-skirted tunics of ethereal material, have a glowing halo of laurels about their blonde hair, and have glowing golden eyes. Usually lithe of limb and slender, otherwise they resemble nothing less than giant humans. Strangely enough, they're the ones with the shark-like teeth - the smile of an Engel can freeze the blood.

Daemon - Much like the Engel save that their halo is broken and floats behind them constantly (as well as a humongous, serpentine, unconnected tail), they wear less clothing and their colors are pretty much red and black. Oh, and both genders wear them thigh-high fuck me boots. Can't forget that little bit...they also share in the glowing golden eyes. Unlike the Engel, they have normal, human-looking teeth and deign to shrink themselves to the size of a normal human when making a contract.

Loremasters - The only unit that can use the Librum (books) and the special staves that have a book at the end. Highly specialized that only wear light blue and white robes, symbolizing their obsession towards knowledge and learning.

Geomancers - Filthy, dirty, grubby hippie wizards. Seriously. They wear mostly brown and green clothing, grow beards, and aren't inexactly the most hygienic of all mages.

War Wizards - War Wizards are the exemplary of magical artists, and it shows. Able to utilize heavy armor without penalties and the ability to enchant, most War Wizards take full advantage of this by wearing the heaviest plate armor they can afford/be able to, but the truly high-class War Wizards will wear circlets, torques, and expensive capes alongside plate armor of the purest silver.

Battlemages - Battlemages. The ultimate Kraze unit, able to single-handedly rip apart whole battalions using weapons, advanced magics, and able to take full advantage of Heavy Armor (no penalties) while wading through hordes of horrors.

They are the only ones who are able to wear certain heavy armors and they take advantage of that: black plate armor, black cloaks with red and gold trim, and the horned, onyx helm of their station.

There is only one person strong enough to become a Battlemage but the Magic College is certain they can help train new ones, given enough time. All Battlemages are granted nobility status, and as tradition demands are adopted by a noble family as a "cousin."